In states which do not require front automobile license plates, a dealership will often place a promotional plate with the name and address of the dealership on its front. In addition, the automobile owner may wish to place some type of front plate onto the car following purchase, containing such material as a college name, team logo, etc. In many cases it is desirable to construct these plates of low cost material, enabling them to be retailed inexpensively. Alternatively, an automobile owner may wish to place air-brush art in the license plate slot, such art is highly susceptible to damage from exposure to the natural elements. It is also desirable that a lighted element be included so that the plate may be viewed in both daytime and nighttime conditions. This is not possible in a simple open-mounted configuration because 1) the plate will be exposed to severe conditions such as rain and dirt from the road, lightweight or painted materials being less able to withstand these irritants, and 2) lighting elements tend to induce "hot spots" on the plate surface which may burn some lightweight or painted materials. Further, it would be desirable if the illumination system could be powered directly from the automobile electrical system, thus eliminating the need for the owner to periodically replace batteries.